gee, it's been awhile...

[rsinger09]

wow. I haven't been on this site in YEARS. a recent personal situation, however, has beckoned me back. my significant other has gotten into some trouble with the law. long story short...the doctors have deemed him a paranoid schizophrenic, he is now serving time at a prison/mental hospital. I believe deep down "mental illness" is a concept that doesn't truly exist...because modern society doesn't have a place for people with different "brain chemicals" they are left to fend for themselves in an ocean of stigma. I have no doubt society failed my lover. he has his back against the wall, that's why he committed the crimes that he did. however, maybe he really did need professional help? thoughts?

[MortyMingledon]

well I don't know any details of the crime, but there are people who do have actual mental illnesses causing them to commit acts they would not commit if they were in a logically-processing frame of mind. If it was the police that said it was a mental illness, however, take it with a grain of salt as this could be another way in which they exert their control over society.

And btw I do not think "brain chemicals" are really a thing in the way you said it. I think there are different hormones that trigger emotional reactions in the brain, but not in the way you described it about his composition of "brain chemicals" clashing with the average person's composition of "brain chemicals".

[Stranger Than Paradise]

That's a horrible story, solidarity to you through such a hard time.

I don't think all mental illnesses are created by society but I do think mental illness is escalated by Capitalism and the psychological effects of this for the waged and unemployed. Other times I think people are labelled things (in reference to their mental) that act out of frustration that should not be labelled in this way.

[punisa]

That's a horrible story, solidarity to you through such a hard time.

I don't think all mental illnesses are created by society but I do think mental illness is escalated by Capitalism

I agree with this.
Many mental illnesses have no real connections with outside world/system, speaking of genetics, hereditary etc.
Then again capitalism as a system can put a constant pressure on the individual, eventually resulting in mental breakdown and similar effects.

These days I see many people "suffering" from downwards mobility - in other words their social status keeps falling down and they have a really hard time accepting this new reality, many develop side-effects like deppresion, anxiety etc.

[Sasha]

same here; most mental ilnesses are very real and caused by genetic defects and such but in an capitalist society there is indeed very litle space for people to be "different"